IM Enrico Sevillano was able to edge out IM Zhanibek Amanov for clear first in
the last day of the tournament. No norms were qualified but there was a clear
fighting spirit expressed by all the norm contenders with several players
coming close to the IM norm (Roman Yankovsky, Joel Banawa, and Garush Manukyan)
at different time points of the tournament.

That fighting spirit can be expressed through the game Joel
Banawa--Roman Yankovsky
annotated for you below by the players.1.Nf3
Joel
Banawa (JB): Before the game, I looked through some of Yankovsky's games
and was expecting a Nimzo against 1.Nf3 1...Nf6
2.c4 c5 JB: To my surprise, Yankovsky played a symmetrical English, which I don't know
much about. 3.Nc3
Nc6 4.d4 JB:4.g3 is probably a better option when you're not prepared to enter the
complicated lines that can occur after 4.d4. 4...cxd4
5.Nxd4 e6 JB: This is a much better line to use if you want to play for a win with Black. 6.g3
6.a3
During the game, I was thinking about just transposing the game into a Maroczy
Bind and going for a solid and positional game.6...Qb6
7.Ndb5 JB:Seemed like a typical move in many Qb6 lines even in the Sicilian defense.
7.Nb3 7...Ne5 8.e4 Bb4 9.Qe2 d6 10.f4 Nc6 11.Be3 Bxc3+ 12.bxc3 Qc7 13.Bg2 0-0
14.c5 dxc5 15.Bxc5 Rd8 is also one of the main lines. 7...Ne5 8.Bf4 JB: 8.Bg2 8...a6 9.Qa4 Rb8 10.Be3 Bc5 11.Bxc5 Qxc5 12.Qa3 b6 13.Nd6+ Ke7 14.Qxc5
bxc5 is also possible. 8...Nfg4
9.Qa4!?Roman
Yankovsky (RY):This
is a comparatively new move that leads to a very sophisticated position. 9...g5
JB: '!?'a very unusual idea, which I
totally missed the point of. 9...Qxf2+
10.Kd2 Qc5 11.Ne4 Qc6 12.Bg2 Kd8 13.Bg5+ Be7 14.Bxe7+ Kxe7 15.Qb4+ Kd8 leads to
a very complex struggle.RY:One of the possible moves in this position. It's very difficult to say,
which move is the best, because all variants are very complicated. For
instance, 9...a6 looks strange, because the knight isn't attacked actually, but
variants show that this move is also possible. 10.f3 g5 11.Bxg5 f6 12.Bf4 Ne3 13.Nc7+
Qxc7 14.Bxe3 Nxc4 15.Bf4 Sargissian,G (2642)-Avrukh,B (2657)/Dresden GER
2008/The Week in Chess 733; 9...f6 10.Ne4 Bc5 11.e30-0 12.h3 Nf3+
13.Ke2 Nge5 14.Bg2 d5 Shimanov,A (2553)-Tregubov,P (2625)/Rijeka CRO 2010/The
Week in Chess 802,
...and
Black has good practical chances because of the White uncastled king.10.Bxg5!?
RY:The usual move is 10.Bxe5 , but here Black can force a draw: 10...Qxf2+
(10...Nxe5, trying to win, is also possible.) 11.0-0-0 a6 12.e3Rb8
13.Nd4 Qc7 Aronian,L (2739)-Leko,P (2753)/Morelia/Linares MEX/ ESP 2008 (50)
with a complicated position. The pawn on g5 obviously would be better on g7.
11.Kd1 Nxe5 12.Nc7+ Kd8 13.Nxa8 Qd4+ 14.Kc2 (14.Ke1?! is too dangerous
because of 14...Bc5 with compensation) 14...Nxc4 15.Kb3 Nd2+ 16.Kc2=
Carlsen,M (2776) -Dominguez Perez,L (2717)/Linares ESP 2009/The Week in Chess
746) 10...f6!
RY: I thought about 10...Nxf2? for a long time, counting the following variants:
11.Bf6 Bg7!? a) 11...Nxh1 12.Bxh8 Nd3+ 13.exd3 Qf2+ 14.Kd1 Qxf1+ 15.Kc2
Qxa1 16.Nc7+ Kd8 17.Nxa8+-; b) 11...Nf3+? 12.exf3 Qe3+ 13.Be2! (13.Ne2?
Bb4+ 14.Qxb4 Nd3+ 15.Kd1 Nxb4 16.Bxh8 Qxf3) 13...Nd3+ 14.Kd1 Nxb2+ 15.Kc2
Nxa4 16.Nc7#; 12.Bxg7 Nf3+ 13.exf3 Qe3+ , and I was sure, that I can take the
White queen, but after 14.Ne2!! White bishop g7 unexpectedly defends the pawn
on b2. 14...Nd3+ 15.Kd1 Nxb2+ 16.Bxb2+-RY: I didn't see 14.Ne2, but I decided to play f6, because leaving the pawn on f7
looked too dangerous.11.Bf4
RY:I was mostly considering 11.h3!? Nxf2 (11...Qxf2+!? 12.Kd1 fxg5 13.hxg4 Qb6)
12.Rh2 (12.Bxf6? Qe3 13.Bxe5 Nd3+ 14.Kd1 Nxb2+ 15.Kc2 Nxa4-+) 12...fxg5
13.Rxf2 Be7. 11...Nxf2
JB:and now he can capture the f2 pawn without any problem. 12.Rg1
Nfd3+RY: I didn't want to make this move, but
I didn't see any alternative. After 12...Bc5?! 13.b4 Nfd3+ (13...Be3
14.c5+-) 14.exd3 Bxg1 15.0-0-0 Be3+ 16.Kb1 White has great compensation for
the exchange; 12...a6?! is senseless - Black doesn't have enough time to play
Rb8 and make White's knight leave b5. 13.Rg2 Bc5 14.b4; 12...Nfg4 allows White
to strengthen the rook's position: 13.Rg2 Ne3 14.Rf2 , and White rook is now
standing better, than on h1, while Black didn't make any progress. 13.exd3
Nf3+ 14.Kd1 JB: 14.Ke2 is stronger but not a human move 14...Nxg1+ 15.Kd2 Qf2+ 16.Be2 Nxe2. 14...Qxg1
15.Kc2 e5! RY:The best move. White doesn't have a good square for a bishop. After 15...Kf7
16.Rd1 White has a strong compensation. 16.Be2!
RY: A great response that I missed. 16.Rd1? doesn't give a compensation after
16...exf4 17.Be2 Qxh2-/+ ; after 16.Bd2 Nxd2 17.Kxd2 Bh6+ 18.Kc2 0-0-/+ Black
castles and keeps the advantage. 16...Qxa1
17.Bxf3 Qg1! RY:I didn't want to play 17...exf4?! because of 18.Nd1, and despite the enormous
material advantage, Black's position isn't better. His queen is out of the
game, his king is under attack and all the pieces are uncoordinated.
18.Bd2!
RY: An interesting response. Now White has compensation for two(!) exchanges. 18.Nc7+!?
forced a draw. I calculated the variant 18...Kd8 19.Nxa8 exf4 20.Qa5+ b6
21.Qxa7 Qf2+ 22.Be2 f3 (22...Bc5!? is interesting. 23.gxf4 Qxf4) 23.Qc7+
Ke7 24.Qxc8 fxe2 and I was sure that I'd be winning. Actually after 25.Nd5+
White
gives a perpetual check. 25...Kd6 26.Qb8+ Ke6 27.Qe8+ Kd6= (27...Kf5??
28.Ne3+ Kg5 29.h4+ Kh6 30.Ng4+ Kg7 31.Nxf2+-) 18...Kd819.Nd5?
RY: Under time pressure White makes a mistake. 19.Bd5! It's hard to believe,
but this move is likely to be the best. Here is the logic: White needs to have
a move Ne4, but he doesn't want to leave the bishop out of the game. Black
doesn't have any realistic plan of his development. 19...Qxh2 20.Ne4; 19.Qa5+
is also good (JB:‘!!' continuing the attack.) 19...b6 (19...Qb6 20.Nd5! Both
of us missed this move. After the queen exchange, White takes the material back
forcefully. 20...Qxa5 21.Bxa5+ b6 22.Nxb6 axb6 23.Bxb6+ Ke7 24.Bxa8±) 20.Qa4
a6 21.Bxa8 axb5 22.Qxb5...and
White has a good compensation. Black king is bad, and Black rook isn't taking
part in the game. 19...Qf2!
RY:Now Black exchanges queens.JB:‘-/+'.20.Nbc7
RY: Interesting was 20.Be4!? Bh6 21.Qb4 Qxd2+ 22.Qxd2 Bxd2 23.Kxd2-/+ . Fantastical
position: Black has two extra exchanges, but all his pieces are on the initial
squares. I think Black should win here, but this position was better for White
than the one in the game. 23...d6!? The easiest way to develop. 24.Nxd6 Rf8
25.Bxh7 Rb8 , taking the bishop out. 20...Bh6
21.Qa5 Qxd2+ 22.Qxd2 Bxd2RY:Now White doesn't have any hope left. 23.Nxa8
RY: 23.Kxd2 was just a bad version of the 20.Be4 variant. 23...Rb8 24.Nb5 d6
25.Nxd6 Be6-+ 26.Nxf6? Rf8 27.Nde4 Ke7-+. 23...Be1-+
RY:White
is down an exchange, his knight is lost on a8, pawns on the king's side are
weak. The end is near. 24.Nac7
a6 25.Na8 d6 26.Nab6 Bh3 27.Ne3 RY: 27.Nxf6
Rf8 28.Nbd5 Be6 29.Kd1 Bxd5 30.Bxd5 Bxg3 31.hxg3 Rxf6 32.Bxb7 Rf2-+ 27...Bf2
28.Nbd5 Bg1 0-1

All the games in PGN will be submitted to TWIC and eventually available from
the TWIC website. Also, the games will be available on the Southern California
Chess Federation home page, www.scchess.com.

Metropolitan Chess plans to run these IM norm invitations every two months,
with live games on www.chess.com in those tournaments. Look
for more details in January of 2011.

Metropolitan Chess plans to sponsor a bonus at the American Open Scholastics
for the category winners, occurring next week in Los Angeles, attempting to
bridge the gap between scholastic players and masters by providing a free 3-2-1
hourly lesson package with FM Joel Banawa, the Southern
California Co-State Champion. Full details of the American Open Scholastics and
the American Open can be found at www.americanopen.org